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25 Child L. Prac. 1 (2006-2007)

handle is hein.journals/chilawpt25 and id is 1 raw text is: Child Law Pr Vol. 25 No. 1 March 2006 Helping Lawyers Help Kids INTERDISCIPLINARY EXCHANGE Screening Young Children in Dependency Drug Court by Lynne F Katz, Nurit Sheinberg, Angelika H. Claussen, Alison Baker Introduction Many children on your caseload are affected by parental substance abuse. How often, if ever, are they screened for developmental prob- lems? Research shows a strong and consistent relationship between parental substance abuse and poor parenting skills, resulting in a decrease in parental ability to provide children with stable, consis- tent, and nurturing environments.1 Detecting developmental delays early is critical to ensure adequate early intervention services that prevent long-term developmental problems.2 Until recently, legal and social service systems have not routinely addressed developmental issues in this population. This article describes the results of a pilot project for developmental screening of infants and toddlers ages zero-to-three whose parents were voluntarily enrolled in the De- pendency Drug Court in Miami- Dade County, Florida. The context for the study as well as practice rec- ommendations are provided. The project's goal was to determine po- tential rates of developmental delays for this population, thereby making a case for referrals for developmen- tal screenings. The Miami-Dade County Dependency Drug Court is a model court program established as part of the larger national Family Drug Court Initiative. and the Honorable Jeri B. Cohen Context Substance abuse, maltreatment and developmental outcomes Parents who abuse drugs and alco- hol are at high risk for maltreating their children. As a group, they tend to be less supportive, less nurturing, more intrusive and unresponsive, and demonstrate a lack of consistent discipline and monitoring towards their children.' Moreover, parental substance abuse tends to be related to environmental conditions that negatively impact children's devel- opment such as poverty, parental psychopathology, homelessness, custody changes, low parental education, inadequate nutrition, poor prenatal care and low parental education.4 The cumulative effect of these risk factors leads to problem- atic and generally inadequate caregiving that negatively affects children's development.5 Response of the legal and child welfare system Removal from the home is a com- mon response after abuse or neglect is substantiated. Studies of children in foster care show that approxi- mately 55% of these children dis- play a wide range of developmental, mental health, and behavioral problems.6 The attachment interrup- tion resulting from removal from the primary caregivers may add to the E-mail: childlawpractice @ staff.abanet.org effects of maltreatment.' A majority of child welfare cases involve families affected by substance abuse.8 These families have unique issues that have been insufficiently addressed in the tradi- tional court process. Historically, most dependency courts tended to be adult-centered and punitive, op- erating under a theoretical criminal court framework. Until recently, de- pendency case service plans offered to families with substance abuse is- sues focused on the needs of the parents, with few services offered to children under the age of three.' Additionally, most jurisdictions lacked a mechanism to determine whether young children in the af- fected families met the eligibility criteria for early childhood interven- tion services, even though young (Continued on page 6) What's Inside: 2 CASE LAW UPDATE 10 FACTS & TIPS American Indian Children in Foster Care 13 COURT INNOVATIONS Pew Commission Progress Report 14 RESEARCH IN BRIEF 16 POLICY UPDATE ABA Policy Prohibits Discrimination in Foster Care Placements * Internet: http://www.childlawpractice.org

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